Nailable metal flooring



3,152,669 7 NAILABLE WTAL FLOORING Charles R. Johnston, 80E. JacksonBlvd, Chicago, Ill. Filed Get. 30, 196-1, Ser. No. 148,612 4 Claims.(Cl. 1'8934) My invention relates to a new and useful improvement in anailable metal flooring and more particularly to a metallic floor forfreight carrying conveyances which flooring contains nail receiving andretaining channels.

The principal object of my invention is in the provision in a device ofthis character of a means of constructing a metallic flooring or thelike which by reason of its configuration will receive and retainnailable freight retain ing blocks without impairing the construction,strength and durability of the flooring.

Another object of my invention is in the provision in a device of thischaracter of an arrangement of structural supporting members which byreasons of their specific configuration provides interconnectingelements which form a nailable floor section.

Yet another object. of my inventionis in the provision in a device ofthis character of improved structural members having correspondingstructural elements cooperating with each other when the members areassembled into a flooring unit which will provide a relativelylightweight floor that will support heavy loads and present a nailreceiving channel extending longitudinally thereof.

Still another object of my invention is in the provision in a device ofthis character of an arrangement of structural supporting members, whichby their specific configuration, provides connecting means whereby eachmember will support and be fixedly connected to the next member withoutthe necessity of Welding or the like.

Other objects will appear hereinafter.

The invention consists in the novel combination and arrangements ofparts to be hereinafter described and claimed.

The inventionwill be best understood by reference to the accompanyingdrawings showing the preferred form of construction and in which:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of nailable floor section including myimproved nail receiving channels formed therein;

FIG. 2 is a detailed sectional view taken on line 2--2 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 isan end elevational view of one of the structural members.

It is the object of this invention to provide in freight carryingconveyances such as a railroad freight car a nailable metallic flooring.A nailable floor is one that will receive and support freight thereonand at the same time be capable of receiving and retaining nails or thelike used for the purpose of attaching to the floor freight retainingblocks or other removable members that may be used for preventingtheshift of the freight during transit. The nailable flooring mustbe ofsuch a construc tion that the repeated operation of receiving andretaining nails and their forceableremoval therefrom will not impair inany manner the. condition and structural strength of suchflooring.

To achieve a complete nailable flooring I prefabricate metal floorsections,.one of. which is'shown as at 10 in FIG. 1. This floor section10 comprises a plurality of parallelly extending elongated strips 11.These strips 11 are of identical construction and configuration and areadapted to be supported on connecting bars 13 extending transverselybeneath the strips 11 in spaced parallel relation. These connecting barsare in turn adapted to be supported and connected to any suitablestructural frame members of the vehicle. The structural frame members ofthe vehicle may be a part of a side wall or ceiling, and

United States. Patent 3,1525% Patented Get. 13, 1964 ice,

therefore in this specification and claims the term floor may be takento include side walls and ceilings where such is not inconsistent withthe context of such specification and claims.

As each strip 11 is of identical construction and configuration I willbut describe one. The strip 11 is substantially U-shaped incross-section as seen in FIG. 3. Such strip 11 presents a horizontallydisposed longitudinally extending deck portion 14. The strips 11provides flanges 15 and 16 depending from opposite longitudinal edges ofthe deck portion 14. The depending flange 15 terminates into aconnecting foot 17 extending equal distance to either side of the end ofthe flange 15, while the opposite depending flange 16 terminates into alaterally extending base member 18.

The base member 18 provides one part of an intereng'aging connectingmeans that includes having its upper face formed to provide aninterengaging foot receiving recess 20'. The recess 20' includes acircular toe receiving indentation 21 and a raised locking finger 22adjacent one extremity thereof as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3.

The connecting foot 17 is formed to provide a circular toe 21' at oneend and a notched out recess 23- in the opposite end of the bottom faceof the foot 17.

As will be seen in FIGS. 2 and 3, the connecting foot 17 of each flange15 of the strips 11 extend through a longitudinal plane which is offsetwith respect to the longitudinal plane of the base member 18 of theopposite flange 16. By reason of this novel construction when the strips11 are mountedin parallel relation to make up the floor section 10 asseen in FIG. 1, the connecting foot 17 of each flange 15 of each strip11 will interengage the base member 18 of each of the adjacent flanges16.

Thus the strips 11 are provided with laminated bottom supports that areof a double thickness and as such will withstand a greater degree ofstress and strain.

In assembling the strips 11 into the floor section 10 the circular toe21 of the flange 15 is inserted into the toe receiving indentation 21 ofthe flange 16. The connecting foot of flange 15 is inserted into therecess 20' with the heel like locking finger 22 inserted into thenotched out recess 23, thus interlocking the strips together in alongitudinal plane.

The juxtapositioned strips 11 are then mounted upon the connecting bars13 by a bolt 24 having an enlarged head 25 which sits upon a portion ofthe connecting foot 17 and base member 18 as viewed in FIG. 2. The bolt24 extends through the connecting bar 13 and may be attached thereto byhaving a nut not shown threaded thereon.

In FIGS. land 2 I show a wood freight retaining block 26 attached tothefloor section 10 by nails 27 driven into the nail receiving grooves 20formed between each of the strips 11. It will be noted that the oppositelongitudinal edges of the. deck portion 14 of each strip 11 is providedwith enlarged circular heads 12 which when disposed in spacedconfronting relation form a restricted throat 19 for the nail receivinggrooves 20. It is these enlarged members 12 which bear upon the nail 27to hold the same inthe nail receiving groove 20.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred form ofconstruction for carrying my invention into effect, this is capable ofvariation and modification without departing from the spirit of theinvention. I, therefore, do not wish to be limited to the precisedetails of construction set forth, but desire to avail myself of suchvaria tions and modifications as come within the scope of the appendedclaims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire toprotect by Letters Patent is:

1. In a nailable metal floor comprised of juxtaposed strips each havinga horizontally disposed longitudinally extending deck portion, each ofsaid deck portions provided along each longitudinal edge thereof withdepending flanges, said flanges being disposed in opposed relation toprovide therebetween a nail receiving groove, one flange of each stripterminating into a base member extending laterally from said flange in asubstantially parallel plane with respect to said deck portion, theother flange of each of said strips terminating into a connecting foot,said base member of each of said one flange providing means tointerengage with the connecting foot of the next juxtaposed strip, saidconnecting foot of each of said other flanges providing interengagingmeans cooperating with said first mentioned means so as to provide asealed self-locking connection between each of said juxtaposed strips,said interengaging means provided by said connecting foot comprises atoe extending transversely and to one side of said other flange and arecess formed in the lower face of and adjacent the opposite end of saidfoot to cooperate with said means provided by said base member forlocking said connecting foot to said base member so as to provide asealed self-locking connection between each of said juxtaposed strips.

2. In a nailable metal floor comprised of juxtaposed strips each havinga horizontally disposed longitudinally extending deck portion, each ofsaid deck portions provided along each longitudinal edge thereof withdepending flanges, said flanges being disposed in opposed relation toprovide therebetween a nail receiving groove, one flange of each stripterminating into a base member extending laterally from said flange in asubstantially parallel plane with respect to said deck portion, theother flange of each of said strips terminating into a connecting foot,said base member of each of said one flange providing means tointerengage with the connecting foot of the'next juxtaposed strip, saidconnecting foot of each of said other flanges providing interengagingmeans cooperating with said first mentioned means so as to provide asealed self-locking connection between each of said juxtaposed strips,each of said deck portions providing along its longitudinal edges ameans for cooperating with a like means provided by the confrontinglongitudinal edge of the next juxtapositioned strip to form therebetweena nail retaining restricted throat for the nail receiving groove formedthereby, said interengaging means provided by said connecting footcomprises a toe extending transversely and to one side of said otherflange and a recess formed in the lower face of and adjacent theopposite end of said foot'to cooperate with said means provided by saidbase member for locking said connecting foot to said base member so asto provide a sealed self-locking connection between each of saidjuxtaposed strips.

3. In a nailable metal floor comprised of juxtaposed strips each havinga horizontally disposed longitudinally extending deck portion, each ofsaid deck portions provided along each longitudinal edge thereof withdepending flanges, said flanges being disposed'in opposed relation toprovide therebetween a nail receiving groove, one flange of each stripterminating into a base member extending laterally from said flange in asubstantially parallel plane with respect to said deck portion, theother flange of each of said strips terminating into a connecting foot,said base member of each of said one flange providing means tointerengage with the connecting foot of the next juxtaposed strip, saidconnecting foot of each of said other flanges providing interengagingmeans cooperating with said first mentioned means so as to provide asealed self-locking connection between each of said juxtaposed strips,said interengaging means provided by said base member comprises aconnecting foot receiving recess, said recess provided at one end with atoe receiving indentation and at the opposite end with a raised lockingfinger, said interengaging means provided by said connecting footcomprises a toe extending transversely and to one side of said otherflange and a recess formed in the lower face of and adjacent theopposite end of said foot, said toe receiving indentation formed in saidbase member adapted to receive said toe provided by said connecting footand said raised locking finger provided by said base member adapted toproject into said recess formed in the lower face of said connectingfoot when said strips are in juxtaposed position so as to provide asealed self-locking connection between each of said juxtaposed strips.

4. In a nailable metal floor comprised of juxtaposed strips each havinga horizontally disposed longitudinally extending deck portion, each ofsaid deck portions provided along each longitudinal edge thereof withdepending flanges, said flanges being disposed in opposed relation toprovide therebetween a nail receiving groove, one flange of each stripterminating into a base member extending laterally from said flange in asubstantially parallel plane with respect to said deck portion, theother flange of each of said strips terminating into a connecting foot,said base member of each of said one flange providing means tointerengage with the connecting foot of the next juxtaposed strip, saidconnecting foot of each of said other flanges providing interengagingmeans cooperating with said first mentioned means so as to provide asealed self-locking connection between each of said juxtaposed strips,each of said deck portions providing along its longitudinal edges ameans for cooperating with a like means provided by the confrontinglongitudinal edge of the next juxtaposed strip to form therebetween anail retaining restricted throat for the nail receiving groove formedthereby, said interengaging means provided by said base member comprisesa connecting foot receiving recess, said recess provided with a toereceiving indentation at one end and a raised locking finger at theopposite end, said interengaging means provided by said connecting footcomprises a toe extending transversely and to one side of said otherflange and a recess formed in the lower face of and adjacent theopposite end of said foot, said toe receiving indentation formed in saidbase member adapted to receive said toe provided by said connecting footand said raised locking finger provided by said base member adapted toproject into said recess formed in the lower face of said connectingfoot when said strips are in juxtaposed position so as to provide asealed self-locking connection between each of said juxtaposed strips.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,997,939

1. IN A NAILABLE METAL FLOOR COMPRISED OF JUXTAPOSED STRIPS EACH HAVING A HORIZONTALLY DISPOSED LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING DECK PORTION, EACH OF SAID DECK PORTIONS PROVIDED ALONG EACH LONGITUDINAL EDGE THEREOF WITH DEPENDING FLANGES, SAID FLANGES BEING DISPOSED IN OPPOSED RELATION TO PROVIDE THEREBETWEEN A NAIL RECEIVING GROOVE, ONE FLANGE OF EACH STRIP TERMINATING INTO A BASE MEMBER EXTENDING LATERALLY FROM SAID FLANGE IN A SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL PLANE WITH RESPECT TO SAID DECK PORTION, THE OTHER FLANGE OF EACH OF SAID STRIPS TERMINATING INTO A CONNECTING FOOT, SAID BASE MEMBER OF EACH OF SAID ONE FLANGE PROVIDING MEANS TO INTERENGAGE WITH THE CONNECTING FOOT OF THE NEXT JUXTAPOSED STRIP, SAID CONNECTING FOOT OF EACH OF SAID OTHER FLANGES PROVIDING INTERENGAGING MEANS COOPERATING WITH SAID FIRST MENTIONED MEANS SO AS TO PROVIDE A SEALED SELF-LOCKING CONNECTION BETWEEN EACH OF SAID JUXTAPOSED STRIPS, SAID INTERENGAGING MEANS PROVIDED BY SAID CONNECTING FOOT COMPRISES A TOE EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY AND TO ONE SIDE OF SAID OTHER FLANGE AND A RECESS FORMED IN THE LOWER FACE OF AN ADJACENT THE OPPOSITE END OF SAID FOOT TO COOPERATE WITH SAID MEANS PROVIDED BY SAID BASE MEMBER FOR LOCKING SAID CONNECTING FOOT TO SAID BASE MEMBER SO AS TO PROVIDE A SEALED SELF-LOCKING CONNECTION BETWEEN EACH OF SAID JUXTAPOSED STRIPS. 